Iris

Life is Fighting

Pain.

It attacks me. My mind.

Leaves a trail of burning hot flames in its dust.

Causes me to shrink further into my mind.

Tears are unreachable, disabled. Pent up.

The struggle. The hurt. The sorrow.

************

My fists hit the punching bag repeatedly. One after another. Boom. Boom. Boom. Consistent and insistent. Like a hundred bullets fired straight after one another. I felt the burn in my arms and the sweat running down my face. Even so, it only pushed me to punch harder, faster. Focused solely on my hands hitting the rubber. I pushed myself to forget about my worldly problems and duties. Punch hard enough to forget about Gabriela's prissy face and the absence of some of the most important people in my life.

I brought my leg up and kicked. Again. Again. Again. Kick. Box. Box. Kick. Box. Box. Repeat. My body moved. Attacking the punching bag. Releasing all its pent up anger, stress and pain. I ignored the split skin on my knuckles and the bruises that formed along my calves. I felt my body burn. My exhaustion become something tangible. But again, I ignored it.

I got down on the mat and started doing sit-ups. I got to 73 before I felt a figure standing beside me.

"You're gonna burn yourself out love. Take it easy," the man said.

I looked up and saw a man who looked to be in his early twenties, with eyes like an ocean, a tanned face and body, dirty blond hair, a clean-shaven face and a ripped as heck body - tall and muscly.

What's up with all these hot ass guys approaching me lately?

I rid my head of these thoughts and gave him my signature, 'don't give a shit' look.

"I don't think it's any of your business what I do, blonde guy," I countered.

He huffed out a breath that sounded like a light laugh and turned around and pointed at a group of guys behind him that were looking our way.

"Me and the guys were just wondering why a young gal like yourself would be going at it so hard. Though you're doing splendidly, if I might add. They wanted me to come and ask you if you'd like to spar with us in the ring," he filled me in.

I looked him dead in the eye to try and read him. He seemed to be honest but there was something he wasn't telling me. I looked back at his friends, and something clicked into place.

"Is this a dare?" I questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

In all the time I had come to John's Gym, I had never encountered this much action- which is ironic considering its a gym. I'd usually come straight from school and workout until everyone had left and John would get me to close the place up.

It was starting to get late, and the blue eyed dude and his friends were the only ones here, excluding myself and John - who was probably sleeping in the back.

"Confident and smart. My favourite combo." He chuckled. "So, yes you aren't wrong. I got dared to come here and see whether I could use my charismatic charm to woo you and convince you to come meet my mates and maybe have a round or two - to really test your skills in real hand-to-hand of course."

I lifted the corner of my lip, stopping just shy from smirking.

"Damn, you seem to be pretty confident yourself. I'm assuming you thought that I'd just follow you to your friends like I'm the one that is in need of deseprate attention. Although, I am in need of a little fun and knocking a bunch of male egos around would be fun.  I'm going to need you to go back to your mates over there and tell 'em that if they want to ask me something, they can ask me themselves. No need for a 'charismatic' messenger, " I finish with a sweet smile smile. 

He lets out a full blown chuckle at this, and I can't help but internally groan.